Listening to Little Mark’s nonsensical rambling, Eric Dawson suddenly didn’t know how to respond. It was obviously impossible to directly mention the matter of the golden core—if a secret is not kept, it will be lost—so he could only tacitly agree that it was for chasing after a girl:

“Anyway, just give it a try. If you can’t handle it, you can always quit later.”

“Good point.” Brian Carter nodded and gave a thumbs-up. “A promising young man!”

Grace Bennett’s participation made quite a few male classmates eager to join, egging each other on to sign up. After a while, Old Shaw finally finished recording everyone, then put on a stern face and said:

“Everyone stand properly, class is about to begin.”

“Although some of you are amateur first-rank, or even professional ninth-rank, and some of you aren’t even qualified to participate in amateur ranking competitions, in my eyes, you’re all the same—no difference. You’re all martial arts enthusiasts who haven’t truly entered the door, all little brats who haven’t been weaned yet. So, for the first martial arts class, we’ll all start from the basics. The saying ‘a skyscraper rises from the ground’ isn’t just empty talk.”

Old Shaw clasped his hands behind his back and paced back and forth in front of the group. His voice wasn’t loud, but every student could hear him clearly:

“…To get started in martial arts, you begin with stance training, supplemented by footwork practice and modern strength training, such as bench presses, squats, pull-ups, back muscle stretches, and so on. Only when you’ve reached a certain level in these can you talk about practicing techniques and mastering the special power-exerting skills of different moves…”

“…Your principal went to great lengths to invite me here with the utmost respect, so I’m definitely not someone with an empty reputation. For the first class’s stance training, I’ll teach you the basics of the Daoist ‘Thunder Division’ secret art—the ‘Yin-Yang Stance’!”

With a boom, a wave of excitement swept through the group. The martial arts club members whispered to each other, some excited, some shocked, and the discussion buzzed.

The Daoist “Thunder Division” secret art is renowned far and wide, famous even around the world. Although its basic stance training has long been widely circulated in martial arts circles, to amateur enthusiasts and the general public, it’s still quite rare—far superior to those simple and crude stance exercises.

Eric Dawson was also excited. He turned to Brian Carter and said, “Is it the ‘Thunder Division’ secret art of the Shangqing Sect?”

“It should be.” Brian Carter was a bit excited too.

Although Daoist martial arts didn’t appear that early and aren’t the true origin of martial arts, they do inherit the legacy of the pre-Qin ancient era, reorganized the old gods and ghosts system, and paved the way for the flourishing diversity of later martial arts schools. They are a crucial branch among martial arts factions. The core martial arts are called the “Five Division Secret Arts,” with the highest being the “Forbidden Division,” and below that the “Thunder Division,” “Fire Division,” “Combat Division,” and “Plague Division.”

The two major powers of today, the Shangqing Sect and the Dragon-Tiger Club, have inherited the “Thunder Division” and “Fire Division” secret arts, respectively. Another major power, Shushan Zhai, has the complete inheritance of the “Combat Division.” As for the “Plague Division” secret art, after years of war and chaos, it has been lost and scattered, with many factions each holding a part.

With such a foundational secret art, how could the students—who had long been immersed in martial arts news—not be excited and thrilled?

Especially since Coach Shaw was personally invited by the principal, he must really have some skills and isn’t just bluffing!

It’s just a pity it’s not the “Fire Division” stance training from the Dragon-Tiger Club… Eric Dawson felt a tiny bit of regret.

Old Shaw spread his feet slightly, and his aura changed instantly—like a mountain, like the sea, deep and imposing. Then he raised both hands, crossing them in front of his chest as if sealing something, and continued to ramble on:

“The external movements of static stance are all very simple. The key is how to be still. The ‘Thunder Division’ says: ‘Embrace the origin and guard the one, and distractions will retreat on their own.’ It means it’s impossible for your mind to think of nothing—only a dead person can do that. So, visualize an object and focus all your attention on it. Guard the one and you’ll find stillness…”

“You can visualize anything you like—men, women, cats, dogs, statues, objects—anything, as long as it doesn’t stir up desire. For me, I usually visualize a hundred-yuan bill, using the founding ancestor to calm my mind without arousing greed. This is called treating money like dirt…”

Imitating Old Shaw’s movements and listening to his humorous explanation, Eric Dawson got into position, intending to enter a state of stillness. But his thoughts were scattered, always shifting from one thing to another, never able to focus on one and find stillness. As for visualizing Grace Bennett, that only made his mind even more chaotic, and he couldn’t help but imagine the future.

At that moment, a thought struck him—he remembered the “golden core” in his lower abdomen.

Focusing his mind on his lower abdomen, Eric Dawson slowly gathered all his thoughts onto the golden core itself, imagining that dreamy ice sphere and flickering flames like a nebula.

As his thoughts converged, Eric Dawson’s vision suddenly changed, as if he could see inside his dantian, seeing that dreamlike “golden core.”

The “golden core” slowly rotated, bits of ice crystal turning into stars, circling around clusters of flame, as if he were in the vast universe—profound and grand.

This… did I just directly see the “golden core” with inner vision? Eric Dawson, after all, was a long-time martial arts fan and was no stranger to academic terms. He quickly understood his current state.

This was a deep level of “stillness practice”!

And before, he had to run until he was exhausted to sense the golden core, but now, just by “guarding stillness,” he could directly see it with inner vision. He was starting to get a wonderful sense of gradually controlling it, no longer as nervous and helpless as he was yesterday.